Princess of the Sky
by lemony anemone
Summary: Sheeta: princess. Pazu: slave. Fate brings them together as they escape from Muska who is determined that Sheeta will marry his son: the unpleasant Earl of Anemon.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Laputa/Castle in the Sky

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"Sir, I have completed my mission."

"You have done well, servant. You may leave."

Hearing the door click shut, the man allowed himself a single satisfied smile.

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Big brown eyes looked out the window. They were pretty eyes that shined with unshed tears. Princess Lucita Toelle Ur Laputa had sworn to her grandmother that she would stay strong.

She whispered to herself, "Don't cry. You can't cry" before she broke down, unable to restrain her tears. Her grandmother had died today.

She had heard them talking. _Them_ as in the castle servants. They pitied her. She laughed at the irony. Mere servants pitied her, the princess of the strongest city in the world.

She didn't blame them. As a child, her Uncle Muska, the Duke of Anemon would become King, her new father. She shivered with dread remembering their rare meetings with each other.

The sound of knocking on the oak door resonated through her bedroom. Sheeta sighed. "You may enter." A frail woman hesitantly walked in.

"Princess…your uncle, the Duke of Anemon, would like to speak with you."

"Very well, tell him, I will see him shortly," replied Sheeta who was already getting ready to meet the future ruler.

"Princess…" At her tone, Sheeta turned around curiously to face her, "Dark times are coming in your near future. I plead with you not to give up. Do not lose your sweet nature, and someday you will again find happiness."

Sheeta frowned in concentration. Dark times? She did not hear the woman servant leave. What did she mean?

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Far, far away, in a mining town, a young boy was in a dangerous situation. Strange people in even stranger styles of dress were attacking his home. They were wearing the most unflattering orange bodysuits and yelled in croaky voices.

However, their weapons were state-of-the-art, and these people knew how to use them. The innocent town knew they were in trouble and were in doubt to why they were chosen to be at the end of this misfortune, but fought determinedly anyway.

"Pazu!" squeaked a small girl when she spotted one of the strangers approaching her. What Pazu saw, made him act in desperation. Grabbing a shovel, he threw it at the man. Luckily, it hit him in a _very_ critical place and the stranger doubled over in pain. Pazu breathed a sign of relief, when the very same little girl he saved tackled him.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Pazu laughed,

"Come on Madge, did you really think I would let anybody hurt you? You're my little sister after all." Madge grinned at him cutely when her eyes widened.

"Pazu! Watch out for that…!" Too late! Madge's mouth dropped in horror as _another_ orange-suited man dropped a rock on her brother's head. Pazu was conked out.

The man grinned a sinister grin showing a gold tooth protruding out of his mouth, as he stuffed the conked Pazu in a bag, slung him on his back, and still grinning, dropped on his knees and said, "So little girl, what are you going to do about this!" Laughing, the man walked away.

Madge finally coming to her senses ran off immediately screaming for her Daddy, with the belief that he could fix anything.

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Sheeta was walking to her uncle's private chamber, still musing over the woman's words. Dark times…. In her near future….? She shrugged, oh well; there were more important things at hand now. She had arrived at the front of a grand oaken door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked, once, twice, before hearing a voice saying,

"Come in, Sheeta, I have been waiting."

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	2. Shanghaied

Giving herself a moment for more confidence, she walked in the room. The room itself was not bad, if not a little plain. Wooden floor, wooden walls, and wooden furniture, the only decoration was a thick black curtain covering windows that looked out toward the southern side of Laputa.

It really wasn't too bad of a room. Really. Only if a certain person wasn't clouding its peaceful aura, Sheeta wouldn't have minded coming in here in the first place. The center of attention, Sheeta squirmed while his eyes passed over her as if she was an annoyance. She guessed he was measuring her worth, she couldn't really tell behind those tinted eyeglasses he always wore.

"Sheeta, my dear. A princess shouldn't squirm in front of royalty." She started in surprise at the break in silence.

She glanced at him warily when he suddenly pushed back his chair, and circled her.

"Your parents and your grandmother have all been much too lenient. A princess should be brought up properly, with no room for sympathy." Muska looked to see her reaction, but to his disappointment, she showed no difference in expression.

"Hmm…good posture…small feet, clear skin (A/N of course she has clear skin!), but your dress, a simple blue frock! You, my dear, are a princess, and you will dress accordingly…_understood_?"

Sheeta remained stone-faced, though she marked his eyes. He had told her pleasantly enough, to dress….fancier, meaning more uncomfortably, but, they had a vicious glint to them. She made a note to herself to watch him, he could be a dangerous man.

After a moment, Sheeta decided to speak, "Your…highness, may I leave?" When Muska nodded, Sheeta breathed out slowly, and walked to door, but when she reached it, he gave her something else to think about.

"Princess Lucita, I am going to assign you a governess. Madame Clara. She will prepare you to become a proper lady, after all, you are nearly sixteen." His glasses hid his eyes, as finished his point.

"This day and age, many ladies marry early, sometimes at thirteen years, you are certainly old enough, rich enough, and pretty enough for many men to want to marry you…as soon as you train to be a lady, I will personally help you in your search for a new husband."

Her hand on the doorknob, Sheeta was startled to find herself trembling visibly. A loud thudding sounded repeatedly in her ears, and the air around her turned syrupy, she had a hard time moving in this muck.

Faintly, in the far-off distance, she heard Muska dismissing her. As if in a trance, she turned the knob. Slowly, she pushed the door, and just as slowly pushed it shut. Sheeta closed her eyes; she was out of that suffocating room. But that thudding sound was still there, every step she took, _thud, _like a bell counting down her hours of happiness.

It was the middle of the night. Everybody was asleep, or should have been a long time ago…or, everybody except Sheeta. At first, she had been in a state of shock. After reaching her room, she had fallen back on her bed, and looked at the ceiling for hours.

Little by little, her numbness disappeared, but the aftershock was worse. She could clearly remember every single bit of her conversation a few hours ago. _A governess? Muska and his plans…and…MARRIED! _

Thump.

She had sat up, but in pure frustration, fell back on her bed. Now… where was her pillow? Oh there it is.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" The sound was muffled by her pillow, but tiny bits of her shrieking leaked out, as she vented her helplessness by punishing her vocal cords. _Why? Why? Why? I'm only sixteen…I'm not a lady!_

_Wait…she was only sixteen! She was…not a lady! _An unusual prankster grin spread across her pretty face. _That governess is going to have to work to make _me_ a lady. _Contented with this thought, the princess finally fell asleep.

- 5 minutes later -

Knock. Knock.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Sheeta groaned. Morning already? She rubbed her eyes, as she looked out the window. She blinked in surprise, the sun had only just risen over the horizon.

KNOCK. KNOCK. The person seemed to refuse to leave. Sheeta groaned again. "Come in." Bang. The door slammed open. The shadows in the room, made it hard to see who it was. The outline of the person, was a woman whose back was ramrod straight, with every strand of hair, tucked in its place.

As Sheeta sat up bewildered, a stately woman marched into the room, her heels clicking in rhythm on the hard floor. She had a beauty spot on her cheek, with crescent-shaped glasses perched on her nose. Sheeta's careful eyes observed that there was no wrinkle in the elegant dress that she wore, and that it was made by skillful hands in the latest fashion. Her first four words were,

"I am Madame Clara." This was a no-nonsense woman.

Only an hour after dawn, Sheeta found herself in the castle study with Madame Clara who was currently going over the rules with her new student.

"I will be your new governess until I declare yourself lady enough to graduate my class. First of all, I am your teacher, and you are the student." She paced the ground in front of Sheeta. "You will not question me. You will study the books. You will not act unladylike…"

Sheeta looked out the window, which to her, now represented freedom. She jumped when Madame Clara, procured a ruler, and hit the desk. Madame frowned. "As I was saying, doing all this will result in your ladylike state in a mere two months."

Sheeta thought about this. In only two months, she would be a lady, and Muska would then marry her off to some conceited noble as soon as possible. She would be as good as enslaved to man who would give her orders, which she had to obey. She shook her head. Nope. That could definitely not happen. She would end up hating her life.

She guessed, that first of all, she could slow down her training as much as possible. She turned her head to be seemingly paying her utmost attention, but at the corner of her mind, she was scheming.

Pazu awoke in a panic. Where was he? He was succumbed in total darkness. He began to feel around his newly found prison, accurately remembering the location of the objects as he crawled around. It was a rectangular area, with a dirt floor, and lots of barrels. He tensed as he heard voices above him, and he faked unconsciousness once more.

A trapdoor above him was opened, and a ladder was retrieved, and a man walked down, followed by another.

"Get up, boy, you can't fool me" a loud voice cackled. So it was a woman, Pazu reasoned by the pitch of her tone. He began to get up, but was apparently too slow for the likes of the woman, for she lifted him up by the collar of his shirt.

She suddenly seemed to notice something that displeased her. "Which one of my good-for-nothing sons forgot to bind him!" she screeched.

"I'm sorry Mama…but" said a deep voice timidly, when he was interrupted with another screech.

"How many times have I told you to call me Dola, you! Get me some rope."

Pazu watched as the man scuttled away, and came back with a long length of fishing line. Realizing that it was now or never, Pazu kicked the woman and ran up the ladder, when once again, he found himself facing a big, scowling man, the same who had knocked him out earlier. The man grabbed him by the shoulders and waited while Dola began the process of thoroughly binding him up like a trussed chicken.

When she finished, she stepped back to admire her handiwork, when she clasped her hands. "Oh dearie," she spoke in a fake falsetto pitch, "where are my manners?" Then facing Pazu, she snarled, "Now boy, don't try any more tricks. There's nowhere to run, we're on an airship, and you…"she sneered, "have made the mistake of being shanghaied by the Dola gang."

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Another chapter done, and thank you Winter the Snow Dragon for your review. I made this chapter longer, hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Perfect

At Pazu's blank expression, Dola decided to try again. "Shanghaied by the Dola gang!"

"Mama, I don't think he heard you…" Pazu tried not to laugh. Unfortunately a corner of his mouth turned up, and Dola saw.

"We are nothing you should laugh about. We are DANGEROUS. We are a pirate gang, we are only loyal to those who reward us greater, and we only look out for number one, ourselves! And." She smirked. "I don't see why you find it funny when we are going to sell you to someone in Laputa. Hah! Laugh all you want now, it will mean nothing when you will end up a slave!"

Saying so, Dola and her pirate gang left him in the dark cold cellar; this time with his arms and feet bound.

Pazu sighed. He really shouldn't have goaded them into a temper; it might end up worse for him in the long run. He sighed again, what was done was done. Wait, Laputa?

He was only a boy from the country without proper schooling, but wasn't Laputa a fable? A tale to tell little kids at bedtime? Laputa…he grinned; this was going to be just another crazy adventure.

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Up in the sky, in the fabled land of Laputa, a princess grinned when her governess collapsed into a chair in exhaustion. She had tried virtually everything she could think of to mess up her lessons. She dropped the books, made her stitches a mess, and stepped on Madame Clara's toes during dancing.

She began to think of this as a game, a fun game. Sheeta had always been a quiet child, always doing what she should. This time, she was letting loose.

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Muska was getting ready for his coronation ceremony of kinghood. (A/N: is that how you would say it?) He was standing in front of the city's biggest full-length mirror admiring himself; after all, he was known to be quite vain.

He began to talk to himself, occasionally flipping his head to admire his great hair.

"From this day forth, there will be a new King. A new Laputa. A new legacy! Too bad the queen had to be eliminated in order for this to happen." Here, mad cackling ensues. "I have guessed correctly in my thinking, Laputans are much too simple-minded, they think the queen has died a natural death. No one even considered the fact that she was poisoned!" (A/N: so now you know what the completed mission was)

A knock on the door brought Muska back to the present.

"Sir, the royal tailor is at the door. He is ready to fit you for your new garments for this evening." Muska ordered the man into his quarters. He was eager to try on his new kingly cape of royal purples and crimsons.

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5:00 P.M.

"_Sheeta!"_

Silence.

"_Sheeta?"_

No answer.

"_Sheeeeeeeeeeeta!"_

After her footsteps receded into the distance. A faint giggling came from the girl hidden behind the castle's pillars. Something else that infuriated her governess was when Sheeta decided to play hide and seek.

6:00 P.M.

Madame Clara was in a fury. Her student was nowhere to be found, and there were only two hours left to prepare her for the coronation ceremony.

She listened hard for any footsteps that might indicate where the young princess was; there were none.

Stalking off, she yelled at the maid to arouse any extra help to keep a sharp eye out for Sheeta.

An hour and a half later…

The governess grimly smiled. Success. Princess Lucita was currently fighting with her maids who were dumping water on her while she took a bath. Looking at the time, her eyes immediately took on a glazed look. She shouted at the maids to hurry, and ran down to the princess's chamber, conveniently forgetting that proper ladies must never "run".

Muska frowned. Immediately there was a chill in the air. _**Where** **was the princess!**_

Sheeta was being ushered into a carriage, which would take her to the square in five minutes flat. She would be a little late, but she didn't care. She smiled; her governess on the other hand, was panicking.

In a half hour, she had been given a bath and dressed in three layers of petticoats topped by a blue velvet dress with lace. In addition to, she had put on stockings, ribbons, and black shoes that pinched. The one thing that she regretted? In all the rush, she had forgotten to wear the one piece of jewelry she owned.

It was a necklace with a silver chain with a single, beautiful, blue stone made of pure volucite crystal. She hoped she wouldn't need it today. Her necklace, given to her by her grandmother, had always brought her luck. She only wore it on special occasions, or important days, such as today. Hopefully, everything would be all right.

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The trumpets blew the fanfare, the flags were raised, and the coronation ceremony was about to begin. Muska's frown had by now created a deep groove in his forehead. The princess was an important part of his opening speech to the people, and she was missing!

The Head of the Imperial Court was just ending his good wishes to Laputa with a new ruler, when a dust cloud became visibly bigger and bigger. Muska narrowed his eyes, it was…a carriage? The carriage stopped, and Sheeta tumbled out, followed by Madame Clara, and the footmen.

Her dress was a little wrinkled, but Sheeta delighted in waving at the crowds who loved their princess. She was enjoying her time, when she was dragged off by a disgruntled governess who dropped her at the feet of Muska. At his raised brow, Sheeta quickly swept him her finest curtsy. Unfortunately, her finest curtsy was on the wobbly side.

"Your highness…" Muska seemed to be at a loss of words. He shook his head; he would lecture her later. It was not good tact to make the princess upset in front of her adoring crowd. In the meantime, "Sir, please continue with the ceremony."

In an elaborate gesture, the Head signaled his assistant to bring him the royal crown of Laputa. The Laputan crown is not to be mistaken for the bulky crowns of European royalty that are studded with gems.

Instead, the crown was shaped into a simple band of gold that was designed to rest comfortably on the head. In the middle of it, was a single volucite crystal, which was the symbol of Laputa. It was a beautiful object.

In more flourishes than were necessary, the Head of the Imperial Court finally announced what everyone was waiting for.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, Laputans all. I proclaim that the ruler of Laputa to now be King Romuska Ur Laputa." he gently placed the gold circlet on his head, "All hail our new King!"

When Muska accepted the crown, the Laputans all cheered. He held up a hand to signal for silence.

"Thank you. Amidst this celebration, there is a greater cause for joy. Princess Lucita is now of age to be courted, and eventually marry the one man who I believe will be worthy enough for her hand."

At this point, Sheeta frowned in indignation. How unfair of him to announce it right now, in front of everybody! Her train of thought made her miss the rest of Muska's speech. At the sudden burst of cheering and applause, she jumped to attention. Her wonder of the cause was confirmed when she heard some children exclaiming about a banquet.

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"Hello moon."

The ceremony had finished an hour ago, and then there had been a great feast for everybody in Laputa to enjoy. People were still celebrating at the banquet she guessed. Sheeta had retired early to her bedroom stating that she was tired. However, her real reason was to ponder about Muska's announcement to the people, and also how much things would change since he was now officially King.

She looked up at the pale yellow sphere. When she wanted to talk to somebody she would talk to the moon. It was a habit she picked up when she was young, having realized she couldn't talk about everything to her grandmother, who was busy being queen.

To her the moon was friendly. It floated in the sky, serene and solid, shining down light to help her see in the dark.

Sheeta closed her eyes, soaking in the sweet silence of night. She looked up again. "Muska is King of Laputa now, I'm nervous." She nodded her head. "He isn't anything like Grandmother, he's not sweet or kind, and I don't like his smile." She frowned. "Yes, he never has smiled, he only smirks in a way that makes him seem to know something I don't."

She sighed. "And the biggest problem is, he's determined that I marry somebody soon. But I don't want to! I don't, I don't, I don't!" Her braids swung violently, as she shook her head. "And," she smiled sadly, "I wish you could talk, really talk, so you could answer me." At that, Sheeta began to walk off the balcony, back to her room.

"Goodnight moon."

Sheeta crawled under her covers and fell asleep. At the same time, the moon became hidden by thunderclouds, angry and dangerous.

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Muska walked around his new bedchamber, noting all the fine details and work put into the King's bedroom. He then strolled into the bathroom, and turned on the faucet, the running water would drown out everything in his conversation. Making sure he had absolute privacy, Muska picked up a phone, and dialed.

"This is Muska. The queen is dead, and I have become King. As was our agreement, you will receive what has been promised. The princess should soon be finished with her schooling to be a lady. I will personally make sure your marriage to her is set. Good night." _Click. _

After he settled himself into the massive bed, Muska nodded off to sleep. He slept deeply. Why shouldn't he? After all, everything was falling into place. The queen was murdered without anyone's knowledge, he was the new king of Laputa, and soon Princess Lucita would be married off to his accomplice and nephew, the Earl of Anemon. Perfect.

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okay. so another chapter done! Hope this was long enough Baronfly, and thank you everyone for your reviews.


	4. The Incentive

"What?" Muska had decided that his first order as the King would be simple. He called for a meeting with Madame Clara, asking how her student was doing. It was very displeasing to find that Sheeta had not made any major improvements in her studies to be a lady since the two months that the Madame had arrived.

Rubbing his forehead, he dismissed the governess. He did not know what took Sheeta so long to learn her lessons, but this would not do. He would have to find a way to give her more… _incentive_.

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In Laputa's black market, the Dola gang were unsuccessfully trying to sell Pazu at what they considered was a reasonable price. Perhaps Laputa wasn't the treasure trove for pirates as the legend suggested after all.

As a result, Dola was in a bad mood. She hated being wrong. Even worse, if they didn't have a buyer soon, she would have to admit that she had made a mistake. She grinded her heel into the dirt, and began muttering angrily when a hooded stranger interrupted her.

"How much." Dola spun around, confused. "How much for the boy."

Dola grinned sadistically. Now this was more like it.

In less than five minutes, a deal was exchanged. In less than five minutes, Dola's moneybag doubled in size, and in less than that Pazu was dragged away unconscious after the man clamped a chloroform rag to his nose.

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Pazu woke up in a well-furnished room. The fire was stoked and his bedcovers were made of silk. As he cautiously stepped onto the floor, he was pleasantly surprised. It was the first time his feet had embraced the feeling of carpet.

He slowly rotated from his spot in the middle of the room, which was bigger than half his house. Where was he exactly? His question was answered when he opened the door to find a startled manservant with his hand raised in midair, ready to knock.

Regaining his composure, the servant bowed.

"Master Pazu. You are currently in the Laputan palace. May I come in?" Pazu nodded hesitantly, in shock over the news. He was in the palace? He watched the servant neatly pull out clothes from his bureau, and then watched him walk over to him. There was an awkward silence as they both stood still facing each other.

"Erm. Did you need something?" Pazu was confused, was he supposed to be doing something? Embarrassed, the servant mumbled that the morning routine was to dress the masters. Pazu shook his head rapidly. He was sixteen; he could dress himself! At that, the servant hurried out, calling over his shoulder to come to the dining hall at 7:30 sharp.

Pazu finished dressing in his new clothes. New, uncomfortable clothes that is. When he finally stepped outside his room, Pazu found himself in another problem. The manservant had forgotten to leave him directions to get to the dining hall.

Finding himself with no choice, Pazu decided to turn left at all the different corridors. He would eventually find someone to ask for directions.

Pazu was panting. He was convinced that this castle was a labyrinth! A maze to trap him here for eternity! Okay, not really, but he sure was lost. Although he ran swiftly, he could find no one to help him, and he had no doubt that it was now past 7:30. He was in trouble on the first day. Not good.

He decided to run even faster. He was quickly approaching another corridor, maybe, he thought, that would be the one with the dining hall, with this hope in mind, he sprinted toward it, when coming around the corner was a girl running just as fast. The collision was not a pretty one.

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Sheeta found herself on the floor. She groaned out loud. In addition to being late to breakfast, **again**, she now had to deal with a splitting headache. Who was that stupid boy that ran her over?

A few feet to her left was the boy. Sheeta warily eyed him. She had never seen him before. She watched him as he carefully got up and walked over to her, and to her surprise, extended a hand to help her up.

"Sorry." he smiled. "I'm Pazu, and I was wondering if you could show me where the dining hall is? I'm sort of late." Sheeta nodded.

"I'm on my way there too; I'm Sheeta."

As they began to walk, she began to study him. Same height, brown hair, brown eyes, nice smile, her age, and kind of cute actually…wait, what? She started to turn red which made Pazu look at her curiously. "We're late!" She blurted out, and started running toward the dining hall. Pazu ran after her frantically, after all, he still didn't know where the dining hall was.

The two of them were quite a sight when they burst into the dining hall, heaving for breath. When Sheeta saw Muska smiling, at her tardiness, she felt worried. What put him into such a good mood?

She found out right after breakfast.

Eager to implement his new idea, Muska ordered Madame Clara and Sheeta to begin their lesson right away. He brought Pazu along too.

After Muska watched Sheeta fail her lessons, in what he believed to be purposeful, he decided to drop the bomb.

"Sheeta, come here." The frustrated governess stopped her ranting at Sheeta's mistakes, while the girl herself approached slowly. Muska gestured to the boy. "This is Pazu. He will assist you in your lessons."

At all their questioning glances, Muska explained. "Princess Lucita, it is quite obvious you aren't trying to learn your lessons, perhaps to stall your engagement?" At that Sheeta grimaced. "As punishment, you will learn everything you can in two weeks, while simultaneously meeting all your possible grooms."

Hearing this, Sheeta and her governess started protesting that two weeks wasn't nearly enough time to learn all there was to know. Holding a hand up for silence, Muska continued with what he considered a genius plan. "That is why I will give you, princess, an incentive, and he is it."

All eyes landed on Pazu as he held up in hands in defense. So _that_ was why the man bought him. Sheeta interrupted with a question "But how is he the incentive?"

"Oh that." Muska cleared his throat. "In the Saturday after next, for every hour after the clock strikes nine that you, princess, will fail to complete your studies, will result in ten lashes on the boy's back.

Pazu felt very badly. First, he practically felt the whippings he would get, he doubted Sheeta's intellectual abilities, and secondly, Sheeta was glaring daggers at him. He edged away from her nervously.

Sheeta was fuming. That boy! I should have known he was bad luck when he ran into me, and made me late to breakfast! She was conveniently forgetting, she was already late to breakfast, with or without him. I can't believe I ever thought him cute; he's ugly, and mean for doing this to me. He's the ugliest, meanest boy in the world!

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Although Sheeta was angrier with Pazu than she had ever been at anyone her whole life. She studied, hard. She didn't want to get him whipped just because she couldn't learn. She grudgingly admitted that Muska was genius, the incentive was good, and she was already studying hard to meet the deadline. Darn Muska and that boy!

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For the next two weeks, Sheeta's mornings and afternoons were filled with study, but her nights, Muska saved for her future fiancés, or rather fiancé. His explanation being, that all the other bachelor lords were unacceptable. So in fact, the only royal that ended up trying to win the Laputan princess's affections, was none other than the Earl of Anemon.

The Earl of Anemon's actual name was James. He was the fifth James in a pompous family, and was quite snobbish himself. Yet he was handsome with curly brown locks, and piercing eyes, with a genius ability for weapons and sparring, so naturally, he was wanted by many girls. However, he wasn't the sort of man a country would want for a king.

Sheeta knew by instinct that the Earl would not be a good King. She guessed that the reason he passed Muska's interrogation was because he was the nephew. So he's got good looks, and excellent skills for warfare, so what? This truly did not impress her, but she would give him a chance.

Just as she thought this, the door opened with the courtier announcing the arrival of the Earl. Apparently, she thought wryly, she wasn't given a choice. She stood up to curtsy to the Earl. Her performance in this was much better; it was nearly perfect in form and style. The Earl bowed.

"Princess, it is finally a pleasure to meet such a beauty as you." Sheeta resisted the urge to roll her eyes; he was such a flatterer.

"The pleasure is all mine." She responded politely.

Silence reigned the gigantic room. Sheeta decided to break the awkwardness by playing the hostess. "The Earl of Anemon, would you like something to eat?"

"Yes, and please call me James."

"Okay James." Silence. Sheeta desperately called out for some more crackers with cheese. The silence was deafening.

By the second night, she decided that the Earl's chance was gone. He was boring. He was unintelligent, and most importantly, he did not _care_. Sheeta observed him with great distaste. He was interested in only the well-being of himself, and that was it. Sheeta made her decision. She did not like him. She would never like him. She wouldn't consider marrying him at all.

Sheeta nodded. She would have to tell Muska she wouldn't marry him for anything, and after dinner, she told Muska just that. Too bad for her, the engagement was already arranged, without her consent. And wasn't it just her luck her wedding was two weeks and days away?

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"Moon." It was another late night, and Sheeta decided today she had to talk to some being or she would go crazy.

"Why? Why me? It's just not fair." She began to list her troubles. "First, Pazu the incentive, second, the Earl, third, the wedding, and, and…." she trailed off. "Okay, fine. Only three problems, but they are rather _major_, and the last one, particularly, is life changing. Did I tell you that I didn't get a say in this wedding either? The injustice!"

At this point, Sheeta was pacing back and forth on her balcony with great agitation. "Isn't it every girl's dream to have the perfect wedding, with the perfect cake, at the perfect place, with the perfect guy…" she stopped short. "The groom," she sighed, "is definitely not perfect."

She heard chuckling near her. Sheeta whipped her head around in surprise and saw Pazu on his balcony, which was conveniently, located a few yards away. She was speechless. Nobody was supposed to have rooms on this side of the building except her, and to realize that Pazu might have heard her private conversation made her unable to say anything. Until of course….

"I didn't know you talked to the moon." Pazu was grinning as he said this, knowing he was going to get a rise out of the girl. She had ignored him for days, and days, and days, all because he got her engaged to apparently, an imperfect groom.

Sheeta's voice became low and dangerous.

"What are you doing in the western side of the castle?" Pazu shrugged, seeming oblivious to her anger.

"Muska wanted me here. The other parts of the castle are booked for the guests for your wedding tomorrow." Whoops. He watched Sheeta turn redder and redder, but at the last moment, she seemed to deflate from utter hopelessness. Pazu hesitated, but decided to go ahead and say it. "I wanted to say thank you. You know, for learning everything in time." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I didn't think you could do it."

Sheeta's eyes widened, then narrowed to slits, and for once, she actually thought he was being nice. Pazu hurried on, "What I really wanted to say was, I owe you one." Sheeta's eyes softened. He was nice. If only he could help her get out of the wedding, he would pay her back, and more. Actually, Sheeta smiled slowly, the idea itself wasn't so bad. She turned to face him.

"Pazu. Did you really mean that? Owing me one?" Sheeta asked seriously, "I mean, would you do anything to pay me back?" Pazu nodded determinedly. "Well, "Sheeta grinned, "then help me to escape this place, to run away from my wedding. I could use a little adventure." Pazu balked. _What? _She was asking something impossible and insane. She was a princess, wasn't she supposed to be prissy?

"Pazu."

He groaned. "_Fine._" He looked at Sheeta. "You know, it's not going to be easy. Muska will be looking for us; we'll be fugitives!"

She stubbornly looked at Pazu, "I don't care." When he began protesting again, Sheeta decided to interrupt him. "You were the incentive. You got me into this mess, so you're getting me out."

Pazu stepped back, and studied her. Resolution was etched into her facial features; he knew she wouldn't change her mind. It _would_ be better if he accompanied her….

He nodded in consent. "We leave at dawn."


	5. The Escape

**Chapter 5**

"We leave at dawn." Pazu's words echoed in her head. As of right now, he had gone back to his room to get some sleep before the planned escape.

Sheeta twirled around excitedly, her blood rushing in her veins. The excitement, the adventure! No other princess would have an experience such as she! And best of all, no James. No pompous, snooty, idiot James to marry. She fell back on her bed, a slow smile spreading over her face, until; she broke out into a full out grin. She would be getting a good night's rest in a long time. Sleep seemed to close upon her, when Sheeta suddenly sat up, a new thought in her head.

But, leaving at dawn? Her smile faded, as her forehead creased in concentration. Leaving at dawn wouldn't give them much of a head start while they were running away. A lot of the maids and cooks got up at that time, and would be aware of anyone on the castle grounds. There was also be no telling if Muska was an early riser or not. It would, she decided, also give too much light for Muska to call on his men and track them down. Perhaps leaving at dawn wasn't the best idea. She took her necklace out of its case, and fastened it around her neck. It brought her luck, and tonight, they would both need as much luck as possible.

Stepping out into the hallway, she cautiously looked for any movement in the dim lighting. She slowly walked over to the next room where she knew Pazu would be, and gently rapped on the door.

"Pazu." She bit her lip. Although she had whispered, the sound carried throughout the hall. She gently rapped the door again.

Pazu had awakened when she had first tapped on his door, but exhaustion made him slow to get up. Hearing her call his name, he groaned aloud. Princesses! He sleepily opened the door, and whisked her in, shutting the door after listening for any unusual sounds. He looked at her somewhat grumpily, in the quietness of his room.

"Leaving at dawn is a bad idea." Sheeta looked at him with absolute seriousness. "We should leave now." His eyes popped open, _what?_, he wanted sleep, was that too much to ask? He groaned.

"Sheeta…"

"No!" She whispered fiercely, "Leaving at dawn's a bad idea, not enough time to get away, too much light to track us. And tomorrow won't work either, Muska will be keeping an even closer eye on me, every day before the wedding." At his hesitation, she began to plead. "Don't you understand? We _have_ to." Looking at her sad brown eyes, Pazu found refusing her tremendously difficult.

"But…" He stepped back, as she stared at him, her eyes continuing to plead.

"Please? I'll let you sleep as soon as we get a good place to hide." Seeing his confidence faltering, she added, "For as long as you want." Pazu couldn't help but grin at her attempts to persuade him. Seeing him grinning, Sheeta looked at him hopefully. Shaking his head, he looked at Sheeta, eyes twinkling.

"Sure, since you put it that way." Impulsively, Sheeta jumped up and gave him a hug.

"Thanks Pazu." Awkwardly, Pazu hugged her back.

"No problem." She let go of him, and began pacing.

"You know more about this than me, what should we do?" Before Pazu could answer, Sheeta ran to his bed, and began pulling out the sheets. Grinning, she looked at him. The classic makeshift rope out of bed sheets. Grinning back at her, Pazu helped her arrange the bed sheets and tie them into rope. It wasn't a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all.

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Sitting at a round wooden table with his nephew, Muska couldn't help but laugh. Everything was piecing together perfectly. He looked down at the chessboard with its unusual pieces imported from an exotic country. The pieces were all wood; half of the pieces stained a deep brown, while the other half was simply glossed with polish. The figurehead designs were intricate; the maker had no doubt spent a great deal of time making the pieces with unusual expertise. It certainly was a set to be envied. He smirked as he looked down at the chessboard. It was his move.

After observing the location of each of the pieces on the chessboard, he effortlessly laid out a trap to checkmate his nephew in three moves. Slowly, he slid his queen straight in the path of the other bishop. His glasses glinted in the light as he looked at his nephew, James.

The Earl in question seemed satisfied. Sending a smug look toward his uncle, he shoved his bishop at the queen, knocking the piece down. Grabbing it, he held it between his fingers, his eyes mocking his uncle. Without a queen, Muska was at a great disadvantage.

"Nephew." Muska's voice was pleasant. "Sometimes, to get what you want, there must be a great sacrifice." He moved his knight into position. "After you are able to let that go, everything will fall right into your hands." The Earl had a confused expression on his face. When his uncle, now King of Laputa, had invited him to play a game of chess, he must have also wanted to use the game to teach him a lesson. What that lesson was, he couldn't tell as of right now. Shrugging his shoulders, he formulated a new plan, moving a pawn up two spaces.

"Check." The Earl looked up at his uncle in frustration, and discovered that he was at a checkmate. There was nothing he could do. A frown on his face, he stood up ready to leave. He did not enjoy losing to anybody, including his uncle.

"James. Sit down." Muska gestured to a maroon-colored davenport opposite his armchair. The two moved to the seats, neither saying a word at first, both were simply enjoying the heat from the fire. James watched the fire with respect. It was strong, it was dangerous, it could destroy lives. It had changed the world, fire, bringing mankind warmth and ways to prepare food, bouncing them up to the civilization they were today.

Muska finally broke the silence. "You may have guessed I wanted to talk to you about something." James nodded apprehensively. "It has come to my attention, that although you are engaged to the most powerful princess in the known world, you are at the same time meeting with others…" The Earl stiffened in anger, who had ratted him out? "Many in fact." Muska leaned toward his nephew, his voice low. "This cannot do." His voice was too soft, too pleasant. The Earl knew he was in for trouble.

As his nephew began to protest, Muska raised a hand to silence him. "The people of this country love the Princess. If they find out about your numerous affairs during your _engagement_ all our plans would have been for nothing." James sulked. He knew his uncle was right. But then again, he wanted to defend his actions. He began protesting again.

"But Uncle….Princess Lucita is not like any of the others. She is certainly pretty enough, but that does not make up for all her other faults." He nodded remembering her clear disdain for him, and her obvious disinterest as he talked about his past triumphs of jousts and swordfights. When compared to the other ladies, he didn't enjoy the company of the Princess of Laputa.

He began to explain to his Uncle. Countless duchesses and royal women had worshipped his strong build and athletic talent. Countless others would have kissed his feet if he wished, while there were still ladies left who sat at his feet, entranced by his tales of fights and contests, while adoringly fanning him or placing grapes in his mouth. When he wanted something, it was given, the ladies all competing for his attention.

In contrast, he scowled, there was Sheeta. Unimpressed by his accomplishments or his tales of victory, she had sat, apparently bored. She hadn't come to him dressed in a fashionable dress once. She had always met him in a gown of simple blue, in those awful, detestable braids. He glowered in memory of a time where he tried to coax her to let down her hair, scowling at him, _scowling, _she had slapped his hand away, and left the room abruptly. Only once looking back at his shocked face, and turning back with a toss of her braids. What nerve. Her curtsy hadn't even been perfected, much better than before, yet any other princess would have learned a perfect curtsy by age nine. Compared to the others, Princess Lucita was nearly nothing; she didn't give him anything that he desired. Well, anything, except one. She was the princess of a powerful country, and that, he had decided, was enough reason for him to marry her.

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Dola marched around proudly.

"What did I tell you boys? Laputa is a treasure island!" She cackled as she sifted the gold coins through her fingers, every clinking sound was music to her ears. "Weigh them on the scale boy!" One of Dola's sons hurried to do as she asked, bringing a scale of reasonable size and placing it in front of his mother. He carefully began the task of stacking the coins on top of the scale. After a time, his eyes furrowed, confused. Something was not right. Even though a good many coins were now on the scale, it was not measuring up to the correct weight. In fact, it was a good deal lower.

"Mama?" He hesitantly called out. He was afraid of what her reaction would be if his suspicions were correct. After her grumpy response, he said, "I think there's something wrong with the scale." Muttering something about sons who could not do anything right, Dola checked the scale's mechanisms carefully; it was fine.

Shoving her son aside, Dola sat, using only one eye to focus on the gold coins. Puzzled at how the results came out, she tried again, only to achieve the same amount of weight. In frustration she decided to try a time-honored method. Taking one of the coins, she lifted it to her mouth and chomped. Taking it out, she noticed a small dent in the coin. None of her sons in the airship could prepare for the outburst that would take place next.

Letting out an inhuman screech, like a violin being played by a monkey as one of her sons described it, Dola swept her arm through the coins, scattering them all over the floor.

"Fake! All fake!" After a time of stamping around and kicking the air, Dola turned around to find her sons staring at her. "What are you looking at?" She growled making them turn tail and run off, giving her a chance of privacy. That man was going to pay. Nobody cheated the Dola gang, especially when he cheated Dola herself! She was first going to have to find out whom she had sold the boy to, pacing in her anger, she found herself among a fit of yawning. Heavily sitting down on a chair, she rubbed her eyes tiredly. She would sleep on it and figure it out tomorrow. Her last thought was one of vengeance. She would make that hooded stranger pay for his trickery. She would make him pay.

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It was still a couple hours before dawn. Nothing was stirring on the upstairs floor, not even a mouse. Nothing, except Sheeta and Pazu. They were both working as fast as they could to tie the blankets together with firm knots. Time was essential, but they couldn't take chances on sloppy work. The distance from the balcony to the ground was a good eighty feet, it would not be a pleasant fall if, on the way down, the blankets began to untie. No, it would definitely not. Working quickly and quietly, the two soon began to see the end result of their tireless labor: a rope of bed sheets durable enough, good enough, to serve their purpose of escaping the castle.

However, there wasn't time to admire their work; as soon as they were satisfied that the knots would hold together, they swiftly walked to the balcony, dragging foot after foot of white bed sheet. Pazu knelt down and hastily knotted the rope end to the railing on the balcony. After tugging a few times to make sure it would hold, he presented Sheeta with the other end of the rope. Nodding, she took it and stood at the edge of the balcony, beyond this castle would be dangers, adventures, and freedom that she had never had. Without any regrets, she solemnly dropped the rope, watching as the rest unraveled and dropped over the balcony, to the ground below. After a moment's silence, Pazu decided to break the mood.

"Ready princess?" He grinned mischievously. "Ready for the dangers, the pirates, and the lack of hot water with maids awaiting you hand and foot?"

Sheeta grinned back. "You bet." Before he could react, she swung herself over the railing, and gripped the blankets tightly with her hands, before cautiously lowering herself down. Pazu gaped at her. Wasn't _he _supposed to go first? As best as she could under the circumstances, Sheeta tossed her head. "Ladies first." She giggled seeing his expression. She expected to catch him off guard, but this was classic. She feigned ignorance. "Surprised?"

Rolling his eyes up to the sky, he lifted his hands in a hopeless gesture. There was nothing he could do now, but follow. Quickly grabbing his few possessions, a bag, a cap, and a pair of goggles, he too followed suit, and lowered himself down. With any luck, they would escape the castle grounds unnoticed.

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"The point of the matter is, do you understand what I am trying to tell you through the game of chess?" Muska leaned back on the easy chair, waiting for an answer. When there was none, his eyebrows knitted together in annoyance; his nephew was never able to connect two and two together, the chess game and the lecture. He would have thought sharp minds would run in the family, but apparently he was wrong.

As Muska let out a deep sigh, James fidgeted uncomfortably. Sooner or later his uncle would explain the whole purpose of the lesson. "Life is a game," Muska began, "it's complicated and full of different outcomes. In our chess game, I have mentioned that in order to get what you want, you sometimes need to make great sacrifices." Muska paused, hoping his nephew might for once finish what he was going to say. Apparently not. "As I have shown, I have sacrificed the most powerful piece, the queen, in order to checkmate your king, and win the game. In your case, it is quite necessary to give up your flamboyant air around the other ladies. Once you do, the pathway to becoming a prince should bring no complications. You are Lucita's fiancé, and the people are watching. Behave accordingly."

Striding around the room with his newfound air as a King, Muska was not done lecturing his nephew. However, he spotted a very curious object swaying back and forth outside the window of his study. He stopped speaking, and walked briskly toward the window. As he had suspected it was a makeshift rope, but what was…his eyes widened as he saw feet, the feet of a young girl appearing into view. In a few more seconds, he was staring into the face of the Princess, who was almost as in shock as he. Startled, her hands momentarily lost their grip on the bed sheets, and she plummeted toward the ground. "Pazuuuuu!"

"Sheeta!" Muska's head snapped up, toward the sound, and he craned his neck to behold the face of a terror-stricken servant, the one that he had recently "bought" from the pirates. "Try and grab the rope! Try!"

Hearing him, she flailed her arms frantically and managed to snatch the rope in midair. Relief flooded into her systems only to be swamped with pain seconds later, the momentum of falling, slipped her hands down the bed sheets, causing immense rope burn. Her mind screaming with pain, she held on in grim determination, only letting out a low moan. She couldn't bear to live with herself if she woke the entire castle while they were escaping. But then again, she thought wryly, Muska had seen her trying to escape; it might not have done any good at all. As she finally skid to a stop, she was only a couple yards above the ground, so she jumped, landing on the ground unsteadily, and tumbling over. Muska was stunned into silence by the turn of events. Using the distraction, Pazu scrambled down the rope and hit the ground into a running start.

"Come on." He panted, although it was unnecessary. Sheeta had already started to run as soon as he had joined her. The two sprinted across the lawn knowing it wouldn't be long before they would be pursued.

"Guards! Guards! The Princess is escaping! Bring out the dogs, quickly!" Beginning to overcome his initial shock, Muska began to use his position as the King to issue new orders. "I want you to bring Princess Lucita and that boy back alive, no matter what it takes. Saddle the horses; send out our best men, I repeat, whatever it takes! And I assure you, the two of them will be severely punished when they are in my hands!" In a fury, Muska turned abruptly and left the room, forgetting about his nephew completely.

The Earl in the meantime had been sitting in the same position throughout the whole ordeal. Still in a daze over the turn of events, he slowly walked out of the room, and went to his room to sleep. Perhaps it would all sort out by the time morning arrived.

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After hearing Muska's shouts, Pazu and Sheeta began to run even faster. Although they had been sprinting, desperate times call on the reserves of the body designed for a situation like this. On a normal run, they would have had to stop their incredible fast pace long ago, but their adrenaline kept them going. It wouldn't be long before they would have to stop. Everybody has their limits.

Sheeta's head pounded in rhythm with her running. Her feet were starting to hurt and her hands had gone numb. She looked back in panic, as she heard the bugle of a trumpet and the bays of the hound dogs, the same as when her father would start his hunting parties. Except this time, they were the prey. Her heart beat faster, as she heard horses' hooves in the distance. It wouldn't be long now before they would get stopped. If they were caught, which was a very real possibility…Sheeta shook her head, it wasn't a pleasant thought. After all, Muska was not a nice man, nor a very forgiving one. Muska couldn't do anything awful to her, she was a princess, but Pazu was a mere servant in his eyes. Tears streamed down her face as she began to realize what she had dragged Pazu into. He could be tortured for days or weeks before Muska finally decided to dispose of him permanently, all because he had helped her escape.

She looked to her left to find Pazu slowing. Her eyes widened as she realized why. The direction they had been running led to a large cliff overlooking a river. The river was four hundred feet from the edge of the cliff; they were trapped. His resigned eyes already told her he had realized what Muska would do to him. "I'm sorry." she blurted out. Pazu tried to reassure her with a forced smile. He shrugged carelessly. "It's fine." However, when the dogs appeared and soon began to close in on them, his shoulders slumped in defeat; with their backs to the edge of the cliff, there was nothing they could do.

Beside Pazu, Sheeta's eyes turned dark with determination. She was not going to see Pazu be captured into the hands of Muska through her fault. She would rather die.

"Pazu." Her voice carried through the growls of the hounds. "I'm going to jump." He spun around to look at her in surprise.

"What!" He marveled at her calmness, but at the same time, he couldn't help but think that she was absolutely crazy. She shook her pigtailed head slowly.

"I've made up my mind. This is all my fault. I got you into this mess, and there's nothing I can do to get you out." Pazu rolled his eyes, princesses were so dramatic, but no matter, he'd just force her not to jump, it was that simple. In one smooth move, he tackled her to the ground.

"Hey!" He grinned cheekily at her outrage.

"Sorry Sheeta, but I'm not going to let you jump off. Don't you know me better by now?"

In response, Sheeta scowled. He was heavier, he was stronger, she knew struggling would be futile. She tried anyway.

"Get off!" She beat her fists on the ground, ignoring the rope burn. "Get…" She never finished the sentence as the section of the cliff gave way. It had become weak, and after centuries of no disturbance, their struggle on its ground had been the final straw.

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_Thank you so much for your reviews! Hope you all liked the length this time! And ignore any mistakes I made about chess rules, I'm not too familiar with the game._


	6. Admit

**Chapter 6**

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_Da thump da thump da tha tha tha - - - - _Sheeta felt herself falling. Automatically, she twisted her head to look for anything that could save her. Before, when she had plunged from the castle's depths, she had the rope to grab, and to hold, but now, she realized she had nothing.

Her eyes blinked slowly, once, twice. The image of her castle flickered, the glasses of Muska shimmered, and the panting of a beagle's tongue met her ears. Her senses were at their highest; trying to catch everything they could, before she was finally imprisoned by the black reaper. Sheeta shook her head. _No. _It would her grandfather dressed in white, holding out her arms in greeting. A drawn-out cry from her left drew her attention, and in her dreamy, almost tranquil state, she was mildly surprised to find it was a boy her age. Falling - like her. Before she knew it, Sheeta had reached out, and gripped him by the waist. It was reflex. He was something she could clutch to, and hold, something that would bring her hope to be able to snatch life by it's sleeve, and live.

Sheeta eyes closed, as the winds began to whip against her mercilessly, and their fall together began to accelerate. _I don't want to die_. She subconsciously clenched Pazu even tighter. _I want to live._

A bright light suddenly enveloped Sheeta in streaks of blue. Feelings of warmth and power rushed through her, and she felt as if she was floating. _But that was impossible. _She opened her eyes cautiously, to find her necklace glowing, and indeed, it _was_ resting in mid air. In wonder, she turned to Pazu, only to see the undisguised awe in his eyes, "The necklace…" he murmured. However, she saw his awe quickly disappear into excitement, and she felt herself gulp at the burning light in his eyes. She pleaded to herself. _Please don't let him do anything rash…_

Pazu whooped with delight, throwing his hands into the air. Startled with the rocking motion he caused, Sheeta gripped his waist tighter, her eyes screwed shut. Hearing a chuckle, she looked up to find him smiling good-naturedly. She glared at his amusement, and slowly released her grip on his waist, although she made sure to keep a tight hold on his hand. Still finding him grinning, Sheeta warned him angrily that if she let go, he would go plummeting toward kingdom come. "You wouldn't." His confident air was slightly irritating, what did he know about her anyway? But when she looked at him, his brown eyes friendly and sure, she turned away quickly, her cheeks slightly pink. Gradually, they found themselves floating closer and closer to the ground.

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Muska stood shocked at the edge of the remains of the original cliff. He was shocked at what he had just seen. A bright light had suddenly enveloped his troublesome niece, and the slave boy, and for a moment, Muska had seen his future plummet along with Sheeta. He had needed her to ensure the satisfaction of the Laputans. Otherwise, there could have been a revolt. But…that light had appeared. Muska rubbed his eyes and looked again.

"Impossible…" But even as he uttered it, Muska knew it to be true.

Peering carefully over the ledge, he saw his niece and newly bought servant, floating gently down through the air, the blue light shining like hope, until the darkness finally swallowed them both. Growling in anger, he kicked his newly booted foot at a rock, and was soon hopping around in pain. They had _escaped!_

Through his teeth, Muska swore. "Curse that good-for-nothing niece of mine!" He was about to say more, but stopped when he saw the wide eyes of the palace guards. He tried to smile, and casually shrugged.

"I suppose we should begin the search at dawn." Laughing lightly, he walked off, but his eyes were smoldering in anger. Stalking off toward his study chamber, he ordered the manservant to bring him his nephew quickly. They had to plan their capture carefully.

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"Did you see?…."

"Amazing…"

"I want that stone Mama!" Three brightly clothed men and a woman were crowded behind a rock, so that they would be hidden from the view of the castle. The rough-looking woman suddenly started as though she had just heard the comment.

"Mama!" She sneered at her son viciously. "Kitchen duty for a month!" Under her threatening gaze, his protests wilted quickly.

"But, what about the stone, Captain? Should we go after it?" he asked weakly.

Dola nodded. "We're pirates aren't we? Pirates look for treasure - _of course_ we should go after the stone! Back to the ship!" Her sons nodded and made a poor attempt of a brisk march to the ship.

"Not only that…" she muttered, "_Muska _is after the stone too. Getting to the stone before him will be sweet, sweet revenge."

After Dola had discovered the hooded stranger's trickery, she had wasted no time in tracking him down. Although, she admitted he had left a hard trail to follow, Dola was a crafty woman. She knew which leads were false, and which would lead to the prize. Dola smiled fondly at the memory And what a prize it was. The hooded stranger was a man under the orders of the new King of Laputa - Romuska. She had many crumpled papers of plans that she had discarded to raid the castle. She had decided gaining a victory in a battle with the fortress would be time-consuming and painful. She was about to take her revenge in a whole new direction, when the princess of Laputa climbing out of the castle had caught her eye. And with a boy no less!

Interested in this strange turn of events, Dola thought it would be a worthy venture to see how the escape would end, but never had she guessed that this venture would prove to be valuable from the start. A stone with powers of levitation! In the black market, such a stone would bring enough wealth and luxury to sustain her for the rest of her life. Pirating, Dola mused, would become a pleasurable way to spend the time, rather than as a living.

With such thoughts toward the future, Dola was in good spirits. With a perfect revenge set for Muska, and the success of the revenge bringing enormous profits - Dola nearly smiled.

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As the stone left the two on the ground, the light began to slowly recede, before disappearing altogether. Looking toward the river, Sheeta was relieved they didn't land in the water.

"Are you okay?" Sheeta looked up to find Pazu inspecting her hands. She fought a blush she felt rising in her cheeks, as his fingers carefully probed the areas around her rope burn.

"Not much." Pazu shook his head.

"Princess, I believe you are lying."

"_Princess_?" Sheeta was startled. "Since when have you called me a princess?" Pazu shrugged good-naturedly.

"Ever since I knew you saved my life." A comfortable silence fell between them, as he reached into his bag for cloth, and ripping it into pieces, gently wrapped her injured hands. She gazed at him, a slight frown on her face, angrily pushing the thought away that she was starting to like him. _Not!_ Her head suddenly moved in compliance with her forceful thought, and Pazu ducked to avoid being slapped by her braids. Embarrassed, Sheeta looked away. "Anyhow, call me Sheeta."

She heard a chuckle. "Next time, if you want to say something, just tell me. Don't attack me." An outcropping of rock caught Sheeta's attention, and glad for the distraction, she stared to try to make it out. "A cave…" Pazu was pleased. He knew his way around caves, and he knew it could be used as hindrance from their pursuers, as well as a shelter. It would serve doubly well.

They had not walked more than a few meters toward the cave, when the whir of a flying machine announced its presence. Pazu's eyes widened.

"Let's go boys!" A throaty cackle split the air.

"Oh no." Avoiding her rope-burned hands, he grabbed Sheeta's wrist, and was able to feel her pulse increasing quickly. He realized she must be as scared as he was. "Don't worry. I'll protect you." They started to run as the droning of the engines rapidly increased. As they neared the cave, Pazu breathed a sigh of relief. They were going to make it -- he tripped over a root, and in seconds, he had scrambled to his feet, but at a time like this, a few seconds were costly.

A flying machine cut in front of him, blocking his path. He had to veer his course and take a roundabout way.

"Pazu!"

"Don't, Sheeta - get away!" Despite his protesting cries, Sheeta ran to try and help him. When an orange-suited man jumped down in front of him, Pazu managed to elbow him hard enough to get around, but now he was getting herded. There were too many in the pirate gang, and now he was going to get trapped. At least, he consoled himself, Sheeta got away.

"Are you okay?" Pazu turned around only to meet said girl head-on. He stared wide-eyed. No. He was not okay. He had told her to run, and now neither of them would be safe.

"Come on," growling, he pulled her away from the approaching pirates, and ran, although they both knew it was a futile attempt. The pirates pursued them casually, almost lazily; they also knew how it was going to end. They steadily corralled them into a U-shaped outcropping. It was too steep to climb up, and the pirates now filled the only way out.

Keeping himself between Sheeta and the pirates, Pazu glared at them.

"Don't you _dare_ hurt her."

"I think you should worry about yourself, kid." Sheeta cried out as a heavily built woman slid down from behind, and used the butt of her gun to knock Pazu out. A wince colored his features momentarily, before he dropped onto the ground.

"On no! Pazu! Pazu!" Sheeta frantically pushed the woman aside, and disregarding the weapons surrounding her, dropped to her knees, and shook him desperately. "Pazu, are you okay?"

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For the second time, Pazu woke up as a prisoner of the Dola gang. As before, he woke up in the dark, his eyes blinking to adjust to the darkness, and as before he felt the back of his head tentatively where it was painfully throbbing. However, unlike before, he was not alone.

He froze when he heard someone breathing nearby, sleeping it seemed, since the sound was shallow and even. As he moved cautiously, the figure snapped her head up, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Pazu? You're finally awake." Her voice was filled with relief.

"Sheeta…" he slowly reached out with his hand, and slid his fingers across her cheek. His fingers came back wet. "Have you been crying?"

"Obviously not over you." Sheeta said shakily. It was unnerving how just now, he had randomly touched her face. And before, when he had grabbed her wrist, her pulse had quickened. Of course she knew why. She just wouldn't admit it.

Pazu laughed weakly. "Don't worry about me so much. My head is as hard as my boss's fist. Or so he says." Sheeta frowned.

"Didn't I just get over saying it wasn't about you?" Pazu laughed harder, and reached out to tug her braid teasingly, only to end up staring at it. Sheeta pulled her braid away. "What are you doing?"

Pazu fumbled for words. He had no idea what he was saying. "Your hair's really…soft," He finally squeaked. Pazu's eyes widened. _What did he just say?_ He refused to meet Sheeta's eyes, which he knew were staring at him. He tried to mumble out an explanation. "I…just..I…"

At that moment, Dola stomped in, and told her sons to grab them and tie them up in her office. Sheeta and Pazu looked at each other worriedly. Pazu admittedly, was also relieved. When their hands were tied behind the backs of the chairs they were seated in, Dola walked in, eyeing them carefully. After a silence, she produced from her pocket, Sheeta's crystal.

She rounded on the girl. "What's your name?"

"Sheeta."

"Age?"

"Seventeen." _My age_, Pazu thought nervously.

"Now," Dola leaned in, her eyes dangerous, "How do you make the crystal activate?"

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Dola fumed. She had planned, she had persisted, she had attacked. When finally, she had captured both the crystal and its wearer, the girl, she did not know how to work it. Dola thought to herself mockingly at the girl's answer.

"_Really, Dola. I don't know. I never knew it had such magical properties. I always thought of it as a good luck charm."_

"_Call me Captain!" she had shrieked._

Partly, it was because nobody called her Captain as she wanted. Mostly it was because she knew that the girl was telling the truth, and there was nobody who could do anything about it. She could never sell it now. She scoffed. Really. Who would pay such a large sum of money for something that could not be proved? A levitation stone was a thing of dreams anyhow. She sniffed as her dream of wealth and luxury fell through the tubes. _That Muska!_ Lately, she blamed all her troubles on the Laputan king.

"That Muska!" Dola muttered under her breath angrily. Sheeta leaned forward as Dola cursed the man even more. Smiling, Sheeta decided to speak.

"Captain," Sheeta said, knowing the title pleased her, "I propose an alliance. In doing this, I get what I want, and you get revenge on Muska, and Laputa's treasure."

Pazu stared at her incredulously. She was going to give away Laputa's treasure to a _pirate_? Dola also found it hard to believe. But she was interested.

"What for?" She asked, too casually. "What would you want to do that for?"

Sheeta leaned forward, her hands folded together. "We want different things Captain, but if we work together we shall both obtain what we truly desire." Sheeta hesitated, before deciding to tell the whole truth. Her voice dropped its diplomacy.

"I want your help in overthrowing Muska. He as a king will further destroy the future of Laputa's people." Her voice became softer as she remembered the happiness she felt when she was a little girl talking to her grandmother. "My grandmother told me," she whispered, "That Laputa was falling apart. Although her great-great-grandmother and her great-great-grandfather came up with the technology to found Laputa and get away from the Earth, my grandmother realized that a people cannot live apart from the Earth forever. Eventually, Laputa had to be abandoned by its people.

My grandmother told me that she was old, and would not be able to lead the Laputans back to Earth. She also knew that many would not want to leave. I had to be the strength to lead the people out of the Castle in the Sky, and return to the Earth as simple farmers and laborers.

The treasure will have to be left, as well as the technology because we need to fit in with the Earth as we used to. Although there will be protest, everybody is beginning to realize that we cannot live apart from the Earth, no matter how much they do not want to admit it. They just need someone to lead them out from the world they have known forever, and Muska," Sheeta shook her head angrily, "will never do that.

He will never leave behind the power and glory and riches he has as a king. He will never leave all that behind and do what is right." Sheeta faced Dola. "When you help me overthrow Muska, you will finally get your revenge for whatever it is, and since I plan to leave the treasure behind, you might as well have it!" Sheeta's feet struck the floor in her passion, and her eyes blazed, as she asked, "Well?!"

Dola slapped her knee in delight. It was reckless, dangerous, and the rewards were worth it all. "Charles, Louis, Henri! Untie our guests!" Sheeta smiled at Pazu as they were being released. His eyes questioned her. _Is this really what you want to do?_ Her eyes answered. _Yes. _

As Dola began planning their course of action, Sheeta watched Pazu as he listened intently. She knew it wasn't just for Laputa's people that she wanted Muska overthrown; it was for a selfish reason as well.

She never wanted to marry the Earl of Anemon, but with Muska on the throne, it would happen sooner or later, somehow. And now, watching Pazu, she knew she had found the most important reason why she couldn't marry the Earl. Sheeta ground her teeth, frowning. She just refused to admit it.

* * *


End file.
